Out of a total of eight shots fired, Läreid missed six in the relay over 4×7.5 km. This from one of the tour’s most reliable shooters.
– I don’t know what is happening, maybe there was a little less oxygen to the brain and then there were difficulties with hitting. At this altitude (1,700 meters) you also get no recovery between shots. It almost only gets worse and worse the longer you stay on the embankment, says Sturla Holm Lägreid to SVT Sport.
The lead changed after the shooting breakdown to a 20th place a full 1.19 behind the lead. The Norwegian then went fast on the sprint lap and at the switch was 1.05 behind leading France. Norway was then 18th.
“He didn’t freeze to death with bone scars”
– I think it’s about two things: Firstly, it’s the height. I think he was under a lot of stress because he still drove fast all the way in as if it were lowland and then thoughts and feelings come when he starts to miss and has no control over it, says the Swedish shooting coach Johan Hagström to Sturla Holm Lägreid who happened to for a shooting breakdown on the first leg to SVT Sport from a sunny Soldier Hollow outside Salt Lake City where the Olympics were decided in 2002.
– Everyone does this sooner or later. He is one of the absolute best shooters on the entire tour, but now he dabbed. He didn’t freeze with bone scars either, but it was still decently fast but bad, says SVT Sports expert Björn Ferry.